Warning: This story contains disturbing content. Discretion is advised.
A high-risk offender is facing numerous charges, including aggravated sexual assault, unlawful confinement, robbery and breaking and entering after an alleged home invasion in Halifax on Monday.
In October, Halifax Regional Police notified the public that Gamon Jay Leacock, 49, was residing in the community. At the time, Leacock had completed a 14-year sentence for numerous offences that included robbery, sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, and administering a noxious thing.
In a news release Tuesday, Halifax police said Leacock faces new charges after two incidents in the Halifax area Monday.
According to the release, a man had approached a woman in a parked vehicle in the South Street area shortly before 3 p.m. and offered money in exchange for a drive.
“The woman then drove the man to the area of Cunard Street. At that time, he took her property, stated he had a firearm and threatened her,” the release said.
“The woman pulled over and exited the vehicle. The suspect assaulted the woman as he took her property and fled the area on foot.”
The woman was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
As police were responding to the robbery, “officers were advised of a second incident believed to be involving the same suspect.”
The release said a short time later, the suspect entered a home in the 2300 block of Clifton Street. Two women inside the home were confronted by the suspect, “who produced a brick and broken bottle before confining them in a bedroom.”
The women were then threatened, and physically and sexually assaulted. The two women fought the suspect and escaped, and the man fled the residence.
“The women were taken to hospital for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” the release said.
At 3:30 p.m., officers arrested the suspect, who was “hiding in the backyard” of a residence on Hunter Street.
“The suspect was taken to hospital for a medical condition and while awaiting treatment he attempted to flee, but officers quickly apprehended him,” the release said.
Leacock was scheduled to appear in Halifax Provincial Court Tuesday to face charges of:
- Two counts of aggravated sexual assault;
- Assault;
- Two counts of unlawful confinement;
- Two counts of uttering threats to cause bodily harm or death;
- Robbery;
- Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000;
- Break, enter and commit offence;
- Escaping lawful custody;
- Two counts of failure to comply with condition of release order.
Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. John MacLeod said in an interview that police do not believe the women were known to Leacock.
This wasn’t the first time Leacock was arrested since his release in October. On Jan. 5, Halifax Regional Police charged Leacock in relation to an alleged criminal harassment investigation in the Dartmouth area.
According to a news release at the time, police received a report in late December about incidents that happened between October and December between a man “and a woman who was known to him.”
“During that time, the man had broken into the woman’s residence on a number of occasions and threatened her to obtain property and cash from her,” the release said.
Leacock was arrested and handed a number of charges, including extortion, uttering threats, criminal harassment, fraud under $5,000, use and possession of a stolen credit card, and failure to comply with conditions of a court order.
The charges were stayed on Jan. 12, Saltwire Network reported.
MacLeod said part of the reason that police released the high-risk offender notification in October was because Leacock “presented a risk to reoffend in the community.”
“Certainly, we did have concerns,” he said. “As we have laid a number of charges and investigations since that time, certainly it has been our intention to bring that information before the courts.”
Previous crimes
Leacock was last assessed by the Parole Board of Canada in 2021, which determined at the time that he was too high-risk to be released from prison.
The decision said Leacock has a “lengthy history of violence” and the incident that resulted in his 14-year prison sentence “caused serious harm.”
It said that in August 2009, Leacock showed up unexpectedly to a friend’s house while she was absent. The friend’s daughter and her partner let him in, and he “smoked crack” and, shortly after, “assaulted the couple for no reason.”
During the attack, which took place over several hours, he tied up the male victim and repeatedly sexually assaulted the female victim.
Around the same time, it said Leacock also committed robberies in various stores with weapons and threats.
“During this crime spree, you created no fewer than 10 victims in barely two days,” the decision said.
It said Leacock has “shown lasting difficulties” controlling his violent and sexual impulses, and professionals have “generally concluded” that he presents a high risk in both violent and sexual recidivism.
“The Board has determined that you are likely, if released, to commit an offence causing serious harm to another person before the expiration of the sentence,” it said.
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